Marin officials urge crackdown on bicycle scofflaws

Marin County supervisors called for a crackdown on mountain biking scofflaws Tuesday as they expressed outrage at a hit-run incident in which speeding cyclists spooked two horses, severely injuring one rider as well as a horse last month.

Officials called for ranger patrols and sharper penalties, perhaps including consideration of "bike free" zones as well as seizing the bicycles of those who don't follow the rules on the county trail system.

"We need enforcement," declared Supervisor Susan Adams. "We need people out there ... and some meaningful enforcement and fines," she said, advocating a nominal annual fee for use of trails by cyclists and equestrians. "I'm not so sure shared-use trails is the way to go."

"We haven't had good enforcement," said Supervisor Katie Rice.

"I am beyond disappointed the children and their parents have not come forward," Supervisor Kate Sears said of the June 20 incident in which two youths whizzed around a blind curve in the Indian Tree Preserve in northwest Novato, spooking horses that threw their riders. "It's really sad what's happened to our sense of responsibility, our sense of community and respect for others. This is not OK."

The boys, who appeared to be 10 to 12 years old, rode away despite the equestrians' pleas for help. One of the riders, Lisa Zeppegno of Oakland, suffered spinal fractures. The Willow Tree Stables horse she was riding, Coco, was found the next day in a gully, suffering from gashes and a broken nose.

County parks chief Linda Dahl said reckless behavior will not be tolerated in the county's open space and park system. "It will surprise me if we don't end up with a bike-free zone near the stables" where the incident occurred, she told supervisors.

To that end, a new county roads and trails plan Dahl has scheduled for a July 23 unveiling at a county board meeting will provide a "decision-making matrix" to determine whether and where such zones or single-use areas should be imposed. Although that session is just two weeks away, the long-awaited $500,000 plan is not available yet because it is at the print shop, she said. The Independent Journal filed a public records request for the document last week.

As far as enforcement, fines and penalties for illegal biking in open space range from $199 for the first offense to $615 for the third. "It is very difficult to catch them because they are going very fast," Dahl said. The rangers recommend "we start taking away bikes," she added.

Dahl reported that two rangers at the Cal Park Hill Tunnel between San Rafael and Larkspur Landing recently counted 50 cyclists, "and not one of them stopped" at the stop sign. "It's a cultural thing ... that they don't follow the rules."

Tom Boss, off-road and events director for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and a founding member of the Marin Trail Stewards, noted the behavior of the young bikers was unacceptable. He said the coalition is helping with fundraisers scheduled for the injured equestrian and distributing bike bells to cyclists as an alert for hikers and horsemen.

"We all look forward to the unveiling of the road and trail management plan" and its options for conflict resolution, Boss said. "I just want to mention that mountain bikers came out to the polls last November and helped give a mandate to Measure A," he added. The sales tax measure provides $10 million a year for parks, open space and farms.

Dahl said the plan will propose several policy changes and a "decision-making matrix" for modifications to roads and trails. But she said other changes have already occurred, such as increasing the fines for trail violations, switching some rangers' assignments from maintenance to enforcement, and recruiting additional rangers through Measure A funds.

Supervisor Judy Arnold concluded the session with a plea to the parents of the youths who caused the trails accident.